Any reports on the 69039 Portable garage on sale for 189.99? will it last a year or two?
I've had mine up for almost 3yrs. I use it to store a trailer and my canoes/kayaks. It's
both pass/fail, depending on how much extra work you want to put into it to set it up to last.
I posted a review on their site at the time. When I first bought it, the pipe channels in the end tarps were too small and I couldn't get them to fit. A short set up time ended up taking 3 days. I didn't want to pack it up and take a chance on getting another one that didn't fit the pipes (or worse), so I put a bunch of grommets in the end panels and made up a bunch of bungees to secure them to the frame. The frame is descent, but only has 4 legs, I would have preferred more, but it is holding up (read more at the end).
The cover tarp is a bit thin, but has held up surprisingly well in heavy snow and high wind (the location is somewhat sheltered by trees). I put a silver HF tarp over it to help secure the load, and to use as a disposable to prevent UV breakdown and save the original cover. Rather than securing the tent to the ground (and to prevent rust/rot of the frame) I bolted the legs to a couple of used composite decking boards that I had laying around. I then spiked the boards to the ground to keep it from moving. I inserted pipes into the bottom pockets of the end panels to keep them down, this also helps to roll up the door.
You should be aware that the tent doesn't vent well, so if you have it on bare ground the humidity will build up and drip from the ceiling. In winter you will need to clear heavy snow off the top so it doesn't pool up and create a leak, or rip the cover. A system that I use on a different tent that I have in northern Maine, is when a cover tarp wears out due to UV rot, I just turn it sideways on the tent then cover over with a new one. There must be 10 layers by now. Over time this saves on the cost of buying expensive covers from the manufacturer, and adds strength to the top to resist snow buildup. I've never had a blowout on that one and it's seen -40deg temps.
Last winter I had a 20" pine tree come down next to the HF tent, It scraped the front top corner and bent one of the pipes and the foot. The tent held up and didn't leak. I haven't had a chance to fix it yet and don't know where to get parts, maybe CL will have one that someone is getting rid of to use as parts.
Over-all, as a CHEAP storage tent, it was worth the money. Just be aware that you may have to do some work to get it up and going.
